Continuing Assistance to the National Institutes of Health on Preparation of Additional Risk Assessments for the Boston University NEIDL, Phase 2 (2010)

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Preliminary analyses prepared by the National Institutes of Health for its supplemental assessment of the risks associated with operating the proposed biodefense laboratory at Boston University is not likely to lead to a thorough assessment of public health concerns, this report finds. The committee that wrote the report said it could not endorse the analyses as scientifically and technically sound and called for a mid-course correction.

The laboratory, which is situated in Boston's South End district, includes a Biosafety Level-4 facility for the study of deadly pathogens as part of the BioSquare Phase II project. This is the third Research Council report that provides input on the scope and design of additional studies that may be needed to assess the risks associated with the biodefense lab.